Caged
by Gddssgrl
Summary: Short Story I did for a creative writing class. Forgive the straying from canon, I normally hate that, but I had to change certain things in order to make it work for the class. Hope you guys like it.


"But Dean!"

"Come on Sammy!"

"But Dean!"

"Ugh Sammy had no idea what this means to me!" Dean thought. Dean had always been the big brother; he had always looked out for Sam and that was the way it should be. Mom had died when they were young and Dad had said they needed to get as far away from their house as they could. Not that there was much left of their house anyway. The night Mom had died there had been a huge fire that started in Sam's nursery, Dad had been able to rescue Sam but Mom had died in the house. After that they hadn't stayed in the same place for very long. Normally Dad would lock them in a dingy motel room for a couple days with enough food to keep them alive, but not much else. Even though most people would think of this as a crappy existence, Dean wasn't most people. His Dad was the greatest. His Dad was strong. And even though he missed Mom every day, he knew that she would be happy that he was taking good care of Sammy and that he was helping Dad anyway he could.

One day Dad didn't come back when he said he would. Dean and Sam were alone for two extra days. Dean got scared, though he would never admit that to Sammy. Dean called his uncle Bobby, who had been his Dad's best friend for years. Bobby said that everything was fine and he didn't need to worry about Dad, just take care of Sammy and everything will be fine. So that's what Dean did. He had to steal food from the room next door but he was able to keep Sammy happy, then Dad came home looking battered and bruised. Dean knew then that something was wrong. He didn't know what it could be since Dad told him everything, but he knew there was something. So one night after he made sure that Sammy was asleep he went into the TV area where Dad sat and asked him what was going on.

"Nothing buddy. Don't worry about it."

"Come on Dad I know that's crap! You're away for days and then you come home all beat up? What's going on?"

"Alright, alright….don't wake your brother up. Dean what I am going to tell you is very important. I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't have to, but one day you're going to find out so I might as well tell you now."

"Okay?" Suddenly Dean didn't want to know anymore.

"It's all real Dean. All of it is real. Monsters, Demons, Vampires, all of it."

"What are you talking about Dad?"

"I mean Monsters Dean. They are real and they are very dangerous. My job is to hunt them and kill them. I pay attention to the signs and I go to towns that need help. I track the monsters down and I kill them." Dad waited as Dean absorbed this.

"So…you mean…monsters like the boogey man and Dracula and stuff? They are all real?"

"Well most of them. Some stuff like Dracula is just stories that parents make up to scare their children into behaving, but Vampires are real Dean. They are real and dangerous. Do you understand what I am telling you boy?"

"I…I think so…Wait!" An epiphany suddenly struck Dean. "Does this mean…did a monster get Mom?"

"Look let's stick to the subject. Now you know, but you can't tell Sammy. He is too young to handle this like you, Okay? Are you listening to me boy?"

"Yeah Dad I understand."

"Dean now that you know I know that you will look out for Sammy even more right? Your brother is your responsibility and you can't let anything happen to him. Do you understand?"

"Yeah Dad. I get it; I would never let anything happen to Sammy." And as he said this to his father he was silently promising it to himself. Dean would do anything for Sam, or he would die trying.

Now that they were teenagers they had a little bit more freedom. Dad had promised them that he would be back in a couple weeks. He had said he was headed up to Vancouver that he had left them enough money to get them through his absence, and that Dean should look out for Sammy. All of this was stuff Dean was used to. Sam still didn't know about demons and Dean was okay with that. But, Sam was very bright. Too smart, if you asked Dean. He knew something was up but whenever he brought it up to Dean it was dismissed and Sam's fears were dispelled. Dean had read up on some creatures in Dad's notes under the guise being able to better protect Sam, but he was really looking for something. As soon as Dad left Dean got ready to go. The town they were staying in was the perfect place to find what he wanted and Dean wasn't gonna let this opportunity go. Sam had just been sick and was still too weak to get out of bed, but his fever had broke and he was sleeping peacefully, so Dean figured this was as good a time as any to go after his prize. But as he walked to the door, he heard a weak voice calling him from the room.

"Dean? Where are you going?"

Dean rushed to his little brother's side in an attempt to calm the fear in his voice. "Shhh! Sammy its okay I just need to get out for a minute, but I'll be right back don't worry!"

"But Dean!"

"Come on Sammy!"

"But Dean!"

"Sammy look it's gonna be okay. Just rest alright? You need to get your strength back so we can go check out that new Superhero Movie this weekend." Dean watched as his little brother's eyes lit up and his heart swelled.

"But Dean, Dad said not to waste the money we need to save it." Sammy's eyes started to darken but Dean just smiled.

"Hey I have saved up some money so that I could take you as a treat when Dad left don't worry about it." Sammy smiled at Dean and nodded his head just a little on the pillow. Then he closed his eyes. Dean stayed by his side rubbing his arm from the outside of the blankets till he felt his breathes become even and deep. He knew that Sammy was asleep and went to the door. He made sure it was carefully locked and went out to the road. He walked about three miles before he came to a deserted area under an overpass. Nobody would find him here, except what he wanted to find him. Dean laid his trap and sat in wait.

It started to get dark and Dean wondered if he would have to pack up his stuff and go back to Sammy soon. Just as he started to get up he heard the trap snap close and a monster roar its outrage at being trapped. Dean stepped out and looked at the Demon trapped inside the salt cage. Salt was a natural demon repellent and the special bars of the cage kept the demon safely inside. The demon's eyes were black, but the rest of him looked like a normal human. Dean knew not to be confused by the demon's tricks, so he immediately moved into the negotiations.

"Hello Demon." Dean tried to hide the fear in his voice. "I have a deal to make with you and if you give me what I want I won't kill you. Understand?"

"Well, well! Look at the young hunter. Okay you trapped me fair and square what can I do for you?"

"I want information." Dean had rehearsed this part a hundred times as he waited for the demon, so his voice was strong as he said, "I want to know what happened to Mary Winchester."

"Oh!" The demon seemed taken aback by this. But, then a smile of comprehension came upon his face and glared menacingly at Dean. "So you must be one of John's boys? Dean most likely because Sam would be younger then you are now."

Even though he was afraid that the Demon knew who he was, Dean continued as though he hadn't been found out. "Tell me what I want to know demon and I won't kill you."

"Alright child I'll help you out since you did trap me fair and square." Dean could tell that the Demon was only placating and that he didn't really take Dean's threat seriously. "But child, I am afraid that I might need something a little bit more substantial to aid me in getting the information you need."

"What do you need?" Dean had let his eagerness slip through his control. He might really learn what happened to his Mom!

"Something precious to you, your most precious belonging." The demon smiled sweetly.

Dean thought of his collection of car magazines that he prized or the Chevy that his Dad drove that he desperately wanted to inherit one day. "Okay you've got a deal."

"Good. The Demon reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blank scroll. He then pulled a quill out of thin air and began writing on the scroll. He wrote for several minutes and then he stopped and rolled the scroll back up. He cut his wrist and let the blood drip onto the scroll, and it created a tight seal that held the scroll together. He then looked at Dean as though he expected him to do something.

"Well? Are you going to let me out?"

"Oh!" Dean went forward to open the trap. He had doused himself in real holy water this morning so he knew that demon couldn't touch him. He opened the trap and the demon stepped out as though grateful to be away from the salt. The demon held out the scroll to Dean. As Dean went to take it the demon leaned in close to him.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The demon said with a nasty smile on his face that Dean was coming to hate. "You have twenty-four hours before the lock on that scroll is undone. If you change your mind before then just burn the scroll, and things will go back to normal."

"Why would I do that?" Dean took the scroll from the demon and just stood there staring at him. The demon shrugged, turned and disappeared.

Dean was ecstatic! He couldn't believe that he had finally gotten it. In just twenty-four short hours he was going to learn what happened to his mother and then he would able to hunt and kill the thing that had killed her. He couldn't wait to tell Dad. As Dean ran home he had the scroll safely tucked in his bag. He walked up to the hotel and went to the room. First he checked the locks to make sure that none of them were broken or had been moved. The locks were in place and most couldn't be opened without the key he'd worn around his neck. He unlocked the door and walked in. He put his bag on the counter, grabbed a soda and went to check on Sammy, but as he turned to the bed he didn't see Sammy. The bed was left just as though Sam had been sleeping in it but had just suddenly disappeared. No! Dean tore through the apartment. He looked everywhere but Sammy was nowhere to be found. It wasn't as if Sam could have just walked out on his own. He was far too weak for that! So where was he? It was then that he remembered his trade with the Demon. He had traded the most precious thing in his life to get the answers to his mother's death. Sammy was the most precious thing in his life. He would do anything for Sammy, that little boy meant the world to Dean, and he just traded him for the scroll containing the secrets of his mother's death. Dean stood there in the middle of the room tears streaming down his face in sheer grief. But, this did not last long. Dean wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt and went to his bag and pulled out the scroll. He sighed as he looked at it, then he opened a drawer and reached for the matches.


End file.
